A father was stabbed to death after rushing to help his teenage son who rang to say a group of youths had ganged up on him in a park.Plumber Mohammed Shafiq, 50, telephoned police before jumping into his car and dashing to help Umar, 18, who was being threatened by a gang of youths.
But he arrived there before any police reached the scene and was set upon by the gang, hit over the head with a metal bar and stabbed in the stomach.
Dedicated family man: Mohammed Shafiq with his wife Shaugufta, was not a ‘gung-ho’ sort of man, according to his friend but simply wanted to restore peace and protect his son
Mr Shafiq, a father-of-seven and also a grandfather, was taken to Royal Blackburn Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery.
He regained consciousness and begged his wife, Shaugufta: “Pray for me, that I’ll pull through” but died at about 9pm on Tuesday evening, about seven hours after the attack.
The attack comes amid mounting concern about law-abiding people intervening to stop violent behaviour and suffering fatal injuries as a result.
It happened in Burnley, Lancashire, which was devastated by race riots in 2001 but police stressed that all those involved are thought to have been Asian. They have arrested five youths, the youngest only 16.
Mr Shafiq’s family said Umar had been the victim of a lengthy campaign of bullying by a gang at Burnley College - where he is a pupil in his final year of A-levels - and police said the confrontation had been arranged shortly earlier.
Umar had been beaten up there last October and on Tuesday lunchtime he rang his father to say he was being threatened again.
“Umar rang to say he was getting bullied by a gang of youths,” family friend Shokat Malik said yesterday.
“He was saying ‘There’s lots of them - there are only a couple of us’.
“Mohammed rang the police and said: ‘I’m on the way over there’.”
Mr Shafiq, who lives in the neighbouring town of Nelson, jumped into his Seat people-carrier and made the 15-minute journey to Thompson Park, which is next to the college.
When he arrived, there was a confrontation involving around ten youths, some thought to be Umar’s friends, which spilt over into the Victorian park’s boating lake.
As up to 50 students gathered to watch the fight, Punjabi-born Mr Shafiq tried to calm them down and protect his son but he was hit over the head with a metal bar and stabbed in the stomach.
Gathering evidence: Forensic officers survey the scene near a pond
Relatives gathered at his modern semi-detached house to mourn his death. Women could be heard wailing indoors while Umar, who has given a statement to police, appeared to be in a state of shock.
Bearing a large cut on his forehead he would only say: “I’m okay, I can’t talk about it.”
Mr Malik, 43, said his friend had come to Britain with his parents as a child and had worked in factories before becoming a plumbing contractor.
Murder scene: Police have cordoned off the area where Mohammed Raja Shafiq was stabbed to death
He added: “He was a wonderful man, very hard-working and dedicated to his family. He was a happy soul and always had a smile on his face.
“The manner in which he has been taken away is devastating for everybody. His family still can’t believe it. For something so minuscule to escalate into someone losing his life is ridiculous.
“He was defending his son and has been killed as a result. He wasn’t gung-ho, he had gone there to quell the situation, to play peacemaker.
“It’s a tragic waste of life - it was entirely avoidable.”
Police said the disagreement between Umar and the other youths is thought to have stemmed from a minor issue of “respect”.
Tuesday’s confrontation is thought to have been arranged earlier that day.
Teams of officers have drained the lake in the search for the murder weapon and appealed for students who witnessed the attack to come forward.
Detective Superintendent Mick Gradwell, of Lancashire Police, said: “A group had arranged to meet in the park to sort out a disagreement.
“Mr Shafiq intervened to try to stop it and received a blow to his head and a stab wound to his stomach.
“His son was assaulted there last October and we believe this incident was related to that.
“His family are devastated, they’re distraught.”
Police were last night questioning a 20-year-old, two 19-year-olds and a 16-year-old on suspicion of murder. They were also holding a 17-year-old for violent disorder.”
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